Stansborough
Tent Report

NarniaWeb moderator
Coracle sent in this lovely report after discovering Narnia and
Stansborough at her local agricultural show. She's included wonderful
descriptions of Stansborough's new Narnian product line -
thanks, Coracle!

Stansborough
Fibres Spotted at Christchurch
A&P Show, New Zealand

I can no longer avoid spotting Narnia, no matter
where I go. I was with a group of people visiting our city’s
large agricultural show yesterday, when I noticed the familiar Narnia
poster outside a display tent. “Oh! Narnia!” I
exclaimed, “I have to look in here.”

Going through the tent entrance was not like
opening the Wardrobe door, and nor did I have the chance to shut myself
in (it was far too hot for enclosed spaces anyway).
But once inside, I
quickly found the wonderful Stansborough displays of Narnian and Middle
Earth products.

I introduced myself to Cheryl and Barry Eldridge,
who were very pleased to meet a Narniawebber in person, and allowed me
to take photos; Cheryl invited me to try on a cloak, so I chose
Lucy’s red one. Does it suit me?

The wools are so soft in all these scarves,
sashes, tunics and cloaks. The reds and golds really appeal to
me personally; how I wish I had been able to buy a whole set of them!
Cheryl told me that the dwarf tunics are made in child sizes, as people
buy them for their children, not themselves. I was also allowed to try
on one of the Lucy berets, crocheted to the pattern I have already
tried from The Wardrobe Door. (Theirs were very
neatly done!) These look like being a popular item for girls in the
coming northern winter.

The designs on the scarves and tunics are woven
in; they’re simple-looking, suggesting Narnians are plain,
down-to-earth people (hmm, a bit like hobbits?)

The pointy part on Orieus’s tunic goes
down under the front legs and attaches to the rest of his costume. The
satyrs wear a sash, not a scarf. Maybe that helps to distinguish
them from fauns?

The lovely little Narnian winter scene behind me
was custom made by the Eldridges, including the lamp. With a little
imagination we were in wintry Narnia - although it was certainly summer
“back there” outside the tent, with the temperature
at 29 degrees C.

In another corner of the tent it was Middle Earth,
with a rack of beautiful soft, natural wool scarves and flat caps (and
a cardboard Frodo modelling them). Barry was modelling one of their
world-famous grey Elven cloaks, and very kindly posed beside a LOTR
poster.